Crystal River current., 1887-03-05
HOWLING HURRICANE.
Three Passenger Trains Il own from tn g
Tracts and Number cf Passengers
Ia

TfhC6B ana u NumDtf CT fAsB6nBeSe
HJured.
One of the most severe wind storms
ever known in Colorado commenced last
Wednesday night and continued all that
night and the next day. The average ve-
locity of the wind at Denver was sixty miles
an hour and it is estimated that on the
plains it was 100 miles an hour
The principal damage was done to the
railroads. The Leadville Express over the
Denver K South Park Railroad was blown
from bridge near Littleton station. The
wind was blowing at the rate of 100 miles
an hour and the train was running very
slowly, the engineer recognizing the
danger. All at once with a crash
the hind coach was lifted bodily from the
rails and hurled thirty feet to the bed of
the dry creek below, turning a complete
somersault. The other cars followed and
the engine alone was left standing on the
track. In the first car that blew off were
about a dozen passengers and the contu-
sion that prevailed was terrible. OF course
the stove tipped over and the car took fire
The first to eXtricate himself from the
car was the news-agent, and he, by the aid
of Conductor Harlow, hewed down the
door and began to liberate the passengers.
BY this time the fire had been checked
and the work of taking out the wounded
began. AS fast as liberated they were re
moved to the ranch building close by,
where Mr.. Francis and household treated
their wounds. Those injured and so cared
for are as follows:
j. l.. Oates, cattleman, Denver, face
cut.
William Duncan, of Pine Grove, rib brok-
en- and otherwise injured in theback.
Mrs. Lizzie Duncan, wife of the above,
scalp wounds and injured breast.
II. b. Tuttle, cattleman, Denver, arm
broken and right ear severed from the head
| and gash across the forehead.
Mary Allen, housemaid, Denver, head
hurt
NJ. +. Grove, paper-hanger, Leadville,
bruised about the loins.
Mrs. Alice Klett, Como, hand cut.
II. w. Wilson, Denver, manager of
Great West mine, of Alma, severe injuries
| in the head and a strained back.
Mrs. Mary l.. Jones, Como, millner, in
jured internally, sprained in the right side
and below the chest.
David Fulton, Como, injured internally.
J. w. Evans, mining engineer of Alma,
confusion of the hip and back.
b. NJ. Morrison, Denver, postal clerk,
back bruised, hand sprained
c. A. Scott, brakeman, back sprained and
| hand bruised.
| In an hour from the time of the accident
a special train had arrived from Denver
with corps of physicians and everything
possible was done for the relief of the in
| jured passengers.
The Leadville, Durango and SilvertOn
Express, which left Colorado Springs at
8: so Thursday morning, also met with a
| mishap when about two miles north o
Colorado Springs. A strong gust of wind
| lifted the express car off the track. AS
| soon as the car began to go the force of the
| wind under it raised the other cars near it,
| and so. in almost an instant's time, the
| three express cars. one of the passenger
coaches and engine and tender nearest the
| train We're blown completely over.
The cars had no sooner gone over than
the Silverton express car took fire and in a
brief period of time was totally destroyed
| with all its contents.
| The only persons who sustained any
thing like injuries were: Messenger Foley,
ol tit OllNtIloll eApIesS car I1dITS SHlu-
mars, messenger of theoLeadville express
car, and Jake Brown, engineer of the en-
gine which was blown from the track. None
of these were serious.
| About two miles above the wreck of the
| passenger traink at siding called Pike
| View, another wreck occurred. A freight
| train, consisting of nearly fifty cars, had en-
| tered the siding about o'clock in the morn
| ing to wait for the I.eadville, Durango and
| Silverton Express to pass. The wind at that
| point was blowing at fearful rate, and the
box cars, which We're nearly all empty,
| swayed to and fro. Suddenly one of them
was lifted little by the wind, and in an in
credibly short period of time twenty-five
cars, including the caboose, were laid on
their sides on the ground.
| The Republican has IL special from Como
which gives the following account of still
another disaster:
'As the Leadville express to Denver over
the South Park road was crossing over a
small bridge near this place two of the
coaches were lifted from the track by the
| wind and hurled down the embankment
without any warning to the passengers. As
| soon as possible passengers who were not
unfortunate ones, and soon had the salts
faction of seeing them all out alive, but
some of them were quite seriously injured.
Following is list of those injured: Con-
ductor Mcpherson, left leg slightly cut and
bruised; Frank c. Ewing of Denver, inter
| nal injuries in left side; G. Bryant of Den
yer, shoulder and face bruised, also injured
in left side; Z. l.. Purnell of Leadvile,
sprained ankle; 7. Mcdonald, emplcye,
living at Kokomo. cut in back of his head